Page "Malibu, California" Paragraph 6

In 1926, in an effort to avoid selling land to stave off insolvency, Rhoda May Rindge created a small ceramic tile factory.

At its height, Malibu Potteries employed over 100 workers, and produced decorative tiles which furnish many Los Angeles-area public buildings and Beverly Hills residences.

The factory, located one-half mile east of the pier, was ravaged by a fire in 1931.

Although the factory partially reopened in 1932, it could not recover from the effects of the Great Depression and a steep downturn in Southern California construction projects.

A distinct hybrid of Moorish and Arts and crafts designs, Malibu tile is considered highly collectible.

Fine examples of the tiles may be seen at the Adamson House and Serra Retreat, a fifty-room mansion that was started in the 1920s as the main Rindge home on a hill overlooking the lagoon.

The unfinished building was sold to the Franciscan Order in 1942 and is operated as a retreat facility, Serra Retreat.

It burned in the 1970 fire and was rebuilt using many of the original tiles.